Moving quickly to intercede, Travis steps through the crowd and right in between Maeryn and Ciniod "if we punch them enough times, not in the face, they will talk." he directs his words to Ciniod, "you should take him somewhere and punch him... then he will say anything you want..."

He was nervous, he wasnt good at mediation but he didnt want Ciniod to get mad at Maeryn.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:57, Sat 10 Feb 2018.

"It is everyone's business," she told Ciniod calmly.  "Your people.  Our people.  Shooting them isn't going to get answers.  We deserve to know why they were trespassing." She waved a hand at Travis to acknowledge his advice.  "He's not wrong.  If they don't talk, then punch them, if you like, smack them around a bit, whatever... it would yield better results than killing them outright.  Dead men tell no tales."

One of the elders steps forward, a woman deep in the winter of her life but still possessed an intense fire...

"You fool!  Nothing is going to work!  You have killed one of them, don't you get it?  It doesn't matter if they talk now or not, it doesn't matter if they live or not...those down below are going to come looking for them.  Look at them!  Do they look like lost souls no one will miss?!  You've just doomed us all you!"

"Peace, revered one," Maeryn said, trying to curb the woman's ire.  "Has this not happened before?  Have we not dealt with intruders in the past?  The townys need no excuse to wage war.  Every time we raid or scavenge in their territory, we risk retaliation.  Tonight is no exception.  Our raid did not go as planned and there were losses on both sides.  These will make no difference.  If the townys come for them, we will defend our mountain as we always have."

The elders begin to mumble and gasp as Maeryn speaks of the ill-fated raid that had just taken place.

"Did you say loses?  Meaning they were killed?  In their town?"

It was the matriarch who spoke, her words seemed laced with emotion...terror and fear.  She slowly turns toward Ciniod and with a speed one would not expect, she slapped him across the face.  The mark was almost immediately apparent.

"You're a damned, stupid, blood-thirsty drunken wretch like your father was and just like him..."

Her words are cut suddenly short as Ciniod, flushed red with rage, backhands the old woman, sending her flying into the crowd.  The woods seem to fall silent.  A collective gasp is let out by the elders (and any onlookers) and the world seems to freeze.  After several tense moments, it is Ciniod who breaks the stillness...

"Get these damned lostys off my mountain before nightfall."

Saying not another word, he storms off toward the center of the camp.

Maeryn frowned as their 'leader' stormed off, following him until he was lost behind the crowd.  She certainly hadn't made any friends this night.  Sighing, she turned to the elders still protecting the losty trespassers.  "I will escort them off the mountain, if needed.  Are there others that would see them safely away?"

Stepping through the crowd Erbin nods to Maeryn, "I will go also."

A great deal of mumbling and shouting continued to rise from the elders.  Many were still torn as to what should be done, especially with Ciniods' actions in mind.

"Returning them would be suicide!  They'd storm the mountain for certain!", someone can be heard shouting.

"We can't keep them here and we can't just kill them!  Someone will note they're missing and come looking for them! No doubt they know exactly where they were!", a response bellows from the crowd.

The elder matriarch, having regained her composure, raises her staff and the group falls silent.

"We must confer on this matter.  We will need time to decide."

She turns towards the two who spoke up...

"Please return to this circle when the moon is high this evening.  We will have a decision by then.  Until then I suggest you rest up.  Regardless of our decision, it is going to be a long night indeed."

OOC: It's up to you two what you wish to do from here.  You can explore the town some more, gather supplies, speak to others, or simply let me know if you wish to move onward and we'll proceed to the evening's gathering.

This message was deleted by the player at 00:06, Sat 10 Mar 2018.

She nodded to the elder's wisdom and flicked her chin at Erbin in acknowledgement.  "We need to talk."  Her eyes slid over Travis.  "You, too.  I need some food.  I'm starving." She strode out of the circle and back into the village, seeking out their own campfire.




OOC:  Maeryn would be happy with some food and a bit of plotting but you can jump forward whenever you like.

Erbin moved to follow, "Agreed, some food would be nice. Somewhere quieter."

With the majority of the gathered crowd still milling about, your way back up towards the center of the camp was similar to passing through a row of auditory thorn bushes.  Emotions had reached the point of absolute madness as people shrieked and howled wildly; separating them was the simple concept of 'agree with Ciniod' or not.

Once free from the chaos and general disorder, you find the rest of the camp to be in a much happier mood.  While you occasionally hear a whisper here and there, the majority of the people are content to go about their days ignorant, by choice or by chance, of the events that just unfolded.

You hurry past the main building, no doubt Ciniod had already started hitting the wine, and quickly found more familiar, calmer surroundings.  No one else from your immediate clan was there at the moment but your provisions were still available, as well as the main serving area for the entire camp.

Maeryn poured herself a drink and sat down with a slab of roasted meat on her plate, chewing thoughtfully as she leaned back against a log.  Her dark gaze shifted briefly to the areas outside of their little camp and she frowned.  "This has the potential to turn into a full blown war of clans.  Already the rifts are starting because of what Ciniod has done.  He does not have the even temperament of a wise leader."

Erbin nodded at Maeryn's comment as he helped himself to some meat and bread, "I am afraid you are right. Would be nice if he had more self control."

Travis just unobtrusively and quietly ate, nearish but off a little from the two.

Travis...are you planning on joining Maeryn and Erbin or did you have other plans in mind?

on the fence, just move forward

As time passes, and day becomes night, the moon once more rises high atop the mountain.  No other place can you find a clearer view and it almost seems as if you could throw a stone and hit it.  The camp is soon lit by dozens of fires, candles and lanterns casting a warm and inviting glow throughout the surrounding woods.  Voices dance throughout the darkness in between the trees as you make your way once more back to the elder's circle.  Torches can be seen doting each trail head and vanishing off towards distant locations but as you draw closer to your destination, the torches are replaced by a strange, faint green glow from the forest floor.  Glancing down you find the trail has been outlined with mushrooms that glow with a green tint.  The whole path down to and surrounding the great circle had been ringed with these glowing fungus.  In the center of the circle stood three elders, the matriarch being front and center.  She invites you to come and sit before them...

"This decision has not been an easy one.  We have sought guidance from the mountain and it has been decided that the losty's shall be returned, unharmed, to their people below.  The risks are apparent, and as such we believe you should leave this night.  There will be less of a chance anyone will see you, and they certainly won't try to follow you back up in the dark.  Do you have any concerns or reservations?"  The old woman spoke gently but with authority.

Erbin nodded in agreement as the elder spoke, "Should we make the trip on foot, hauling the losty's down on atv's may be a problem. And do we return the body of the one that was shot?"

Maeryn shook her head at the question, but waited for their reply to Erbin's.  In her mind, she was mentally calculating the best possible routes to take and how hampered they'd be by traveling with three lostys.  They'd made it up the mountain alright, but were they hardy enough to make it back down intact?

"The deceased shall be returned to his peoples.  It would probably be a necessity to use the vehicles, at least until you get closer to the town.  Take the old logging road to the south.  This will allow you to drop them off where ever you feel most comfortable."

"I will go get the vehicles ready. We should leave as quickly as possible before certain people decide against it."

"Yes, that may be a wise suggestion.  If you can, try to bring the four wheelers around without starting them.  We can load the lostys here."

Erbin headed for the building used to house the four wheeler's, once there he made sure they were full of gas and ready to go before he began pushing them one by one back to the circle.

While Erbin prepped the wheelers, Maeryn packed some supplies for them, including weapons they could keep on their person.  While she felt for the lostys and wanted to help them get back home, she didn't trust them in the slightest.